1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to a horizontal or vertical mountable cover for an electrical device and specifically to an electrical device cover that is selectively mountable in either a horizontal or a vertical mountable configuration. Specific hinge types disclosed include hinge members on adjacent sides, hinge members on non-adjacent sides, hinge members that pivot between adjacent sides, and selectively attachable hinge members.
2. Background Art
Household electrical devices are often situated in outdoor locations to permit plugging in various outdoor appliances, such as electric weed trimmers, sprinkler systems and outdoor lighting, or controlling outdoor electrical components. These outdoor electrical devices are significantly more vulnerable to contamination from dirt, water and other foreign matter than electrical devices located indoors. As a result, outdoor electrical devices are usually provided with some type of protective cover for preventing the entry of contaminants.
Assemblies for covers have been proposed for various electrical device configurations. Some assemblies support a single configuration while others have a fixed set of hinges that support multiple configurations. Several examples of hinge configurations known in the art are shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,988,832, 5,527,993, 5,763,831, 6,127,630, 6,133,531, 6,420,653 B1, 6,441,307 B1, and 6,476,321 B1, and United States Patent Application Publication US 2002/0104674 A1, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
One common type of outdoor cover is a flat metal cover that includes a spring biased metal plate that is hingedly connected to a base of the outlet cover that pivots from a closed position covering and tightly sealing the plug receptacles to an open position allowing access to the receptacles. In some cases electrical outlet includes a single plate with a number of plug receptacles disposed therein. In other cases, a plurality of hinged plates is provided, each plate corresponding to a different one of the receptacles to permit each receptacle to be covered and uncovered independently.
A major problem with flat electrical outlet covers is that the hinged lids provide protection only while the receptacles are not in use. As soon as a lid is swung open to allow an electrical appliance to be plugged into a receptacle, that receptacle is open to the elements and vulnerable to damage from moisture and the like.
Various while-in-use outlet covers are also available for mounting in weather-exposed areas. One such while-in-use cover is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,763,831 to Shotey, et al. The while-in-use cover originally disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,763,831 includes hinge members on adjacent sides that allow for pivoting the cover about either of the two adjacent sides by attaching the cover and base hinge members corresponding to the selected side.
Electrical outlet covers of the past include devices having more than one mounting orientation with lids that may be selectively disposed on one of a variety of hinges on distinct axes. These devices have conventional hinges that typically include rigid hinge pins for connecting the lids to the base plates.